001: All mental phenomena have mind as

their forerunner; they have mind as their

chief; they are mind-made. If one speaks or
acts with an evil mind, suffering (dukkha)
follows him just as the wheel follows the
hoofprint of the ox that draws the cart.
002: All mental phenomena have mind as
their forerunner; they have mind as
their chief; they are mind-made.
If one speaks or acts with a pure mind,
happiness (sukha) follows him
like a shadow that never leaves him.
003: "He abused me, he ill-treated me,
he got the better of me,
he stole my belongings;"
the enmity of those
harbouring such thoughts
cannot be appeased.
004: "He abused me, he ill-treated me,
he got the better of me,
he stole my belongings;"
the enmity of those
not harbouring such thoughts
can be appeased.
005: Hatred is, indeed, never
appeased by hatred in this world.
It is appeased
only by loving-kindness.
This is an ancient law.
006: People, other than the wise,
do not realize,
"We in this world must all die,"
(and, not realizing it, continue their quarrels).
The wise realize it
and thereby their quarrels cease.
007: He who keeps his mind on pleasant objects,
who is uncontrolled in his senses,
immoderate in his food
and is lazy and lacking in energy,
will certainly be overwhelmed by Mra,
just as stormy winds uproot a weak tree.
008:He who keeps his mind on the impurities
(of the body), who is well-controlled in
his senses, moderate in his food and is
full of faith and energy, will certainly be
not overwhelmed by Mra, just as stormy
winds cannot shake a mountain of rock.
009: He who is not free from taints of
moral defilements (Kiless)
and yet dons the yellow robe,
who lacks restraint
and (speaks not the) truth
is unworthy of the yellow robe.
010: He who has discarded all moral
defilements (Kiless), who is established
in moral precepts, is endowed with
restraint and (speaks the) truth,
is indeed worthy of the yellow robe.
011: They take untruth for truth;
they take truth for untruth;
such persons
can never arrive at the truth,
for they hold wrong views.
012: They take truth for truth;
they take untruth for untruth;
such persons arrive at the truth,
for they hold right views.
013: Just as rain penetrates
a badly-roofed house, so also,
passion (rga) penetrates a mind
not cultivated in Tranquillity and Insight
Development (Samatha and Vipassan).
014: Just as rain cannot penetrate
a wellroofed house, so also,
passion (rga) cannot penetrate a mind
well-cultivated in Tranquillity
and Insight Development
(Samatha and Vipassan).
015: Here he grieves,
hereafter he grieves;
the evil-doer grieves in both existences.
He grieves and he suffers anguish when
he sees the depravity of his own deeds.
016:Here he rejoices, hereafter he rejoices;
one who performed meritorious deeds
rejoices in both existences. He
rejoices and greatly rejoices when he
sees the purity of his own deeds.
017: Here he is tormented,
hereafter he is tormented;
the evil-doer is tormented in both existences.
He is tormented, and he laments: "Evil have I done."
He is even more tormented when he is
reborn in one of the lower worlds (Apya).
018: Here he is happy, hereafter he is happy;
one who performs meritorious deeds is happy
in both existences. Happily he exclaims:
"I have done meritorious deeds."
He is happier still when he is reborn
in a higher world (sugati).
019: Though he recites much the Sacred Texts
(Tipitaka), but is negligent and does not practise
according to the Dhamma, like a cowherd
who counts the cattle of others,
he has no share in the benefits
of the life of a bhikkhu (i.e., Magga-phala).
020: Though he recites only a little of the Sacred
Texts (Tipitaka), but practises according to the
Dhamma, eradicating passion, ill will and ignorance,
clearly comprehending the Dhamma, with his mind
freed from moral defilements and no longer clinging
to this world or to the next, he shares the benefits of
the life of a bhikkhu (i.e., Magga-phala).
021: Mindfulness is the way to the
Deathless (Nibbna); unmindfulness
is the way to Death. Those who are
mindful do not die; those who are
not mindful are as if already dead.
022: Fully comprehending this,
the wise, who are mindful,
rejoice in being mindful
and find delight in the domain
of the Noble Ones (Ariyas).
023: The wise, constantly cultivating
Tranquillity and Insight Development
Practice, being ever mindful and
steadfastly striving, realize Nibbna:
Nibbna, which is free from the bonds of
yoga; Nibbna, the Incomparable!
024: If a person is energetic, mindful,
pure in his thought, word and deed, and if he
does everything with care and consideration,
restrains his senses, earns his living according
to the Law (Dhamma) and is not unheedful,
then, the fame and fortune of
that mindful person steadily increase.
025: Through diligence, mindfulness,
discipline (with regard to moral precepts),
and control of his senses,
let the man of wisdom
make (of himself) an island
which no flood can overwhelm.
026: The foolish and the ignorant
give themselves over to negligence;
whereas the wise
treasure mindfulness
as a precious jewel.
027: Therefore, one should not be negligent,
nor be addicted to sensual pleasures;
for he who is established in mindfulness,
through cultivation of Tranquillity and
Insight Development Practice, experiences
supreme happiness (i.e., realizes Nibbna).
028: The wise one dispels negligence by means of
mindfulness; he ascends the tower of wisdom
and being free from sorrow looks at
the sorrowing beings. Just as one on the mountain top
looks at those on the plain below,
so also, the wise one (the arahat)
looks at the foolish and the ignorant (worldlings).
029: Mindful amongst the negligent,
highly vigilant amongst the drowsy,
the man of wisdom
advances like a race-horse,
leaving the jade behind.
030: Through mindfulness
(in doing meritorious deeds)
Magha became king of the devas.
Mindfulness is always praised,
but negligence is always blamed.
031. A bhikkhu
who takes delight in mindfulness
and sees danger in negligence,
advances like fire,
burning up all fetters,
great and small.
032: A bhikkhu
who takes delight in mindfulness
and sees danger in negligence
will not fall away;
he is, indeed, very close to Nibbna.
033: The mind is excitable and
unsteady; it is difficult to control
and to restrain. The wise one
trains his mind to be upright
as a fletcher straightens an arrow.
034: As a fish quivers when taken out of
its watery home and thrown on to
dry ground, so does the mind quiver
when it is taken out of the sensual world
to escape from the realm of Mra
(i.e., Kilesa vatta, round of moral defilements).
035: The mind is difficult to control;
swiftly and lightly,
it moves and lands wherever it pleases.
It is good to tame the mind,
for a well-tamed mind brings happiness.
036: The mind is very difficult to see,
very delicate and subtle;
it moves and lands wherever it pleases.
The wise one should guard his mind,
for a guarded mind brings happiness.
037: The mind wanders far and
moves about alone; it is non-material;
it lies in the cave (chamber) of the
heart. Those who control their mind
will be free from the bonds of Mra.
038: If a man's mind is unsteady,
if he is ignorant of the true Dhamma,
and if his faith is wavering,
then his knowledge will
never be perfect.
039: If a man's mind is free from
passion, if he is free from ill will,
if he has abandoned both good and evil,
and if he is vigilant,
for such a man there is no danger.
040: Knowing that this body is (fragile) like
an earthern jar, making one's mind secure like
a fortified town, one should fight Mra
with the weapon of Knowledge. (After defeating Mra)
one should still continue to guard one's mind,
and feel no attachment to that which has been gained
(i.e., jhna ecstasy and serenity gained through meditation).
041: Before long, alas, this body,
deprived of consciousness,
will lie on the earth,
discarded like a useless log.
042: A thief may harm a thief;
an enemy may harm an enemy;
but a wrongly directed mind
can do oneself far greater harm.
043: Not a mother, nor a father,
nor any other relative
can do more for the well-being of one
than a rightly-directed mind can.
044: Who shall examine this earth (i.e., this body),
the world of Yama (i.e., the four Apayas)
and the world of man together with the world of devas?
Who shall examine the well-taught
Path of Virtue (Dhammapada)
as an expert florist picks and chooses flowers?
045: The Ariya Sekha shall examine this earth
(i.e., the body), the world of Yama (i.e., the four
Apayas) and the world of man together with the
world of devas. The Ariya Sekha shall examine
the well-taught Path of Virtue (Dhammapada)
as an expert florist picks and chooses flowers.
046: One who knows that
this body is impermanent like froth,
and comprehends that it is insubstantial
like a mirage, will cut the flowers of Mra
(i.e., the three kinds of vatta or rounds),
and pass out of sight of the King of Death.
047: Like one who picks and chooses flowers,
a man who has his mind
attached to sensual pleasures
is carried away by Death,
just as a great flood
sweeps away a sleeping village.
048: Like one who picks and chooses flowers,
a man who has his mind
attached to sensual pleasures
and is insatiate in them
is over powered by Death.
049: As the bee collects nectar and
flies away without damaging the flower
or its colour or its scent,
so also, let the bhikkhu dwell and act in the village
(without affecting the faith and generosity
or the wealth of the villagers).
050: One should not consider
the faults of others, nor their doing
or not doing good or bad deeds.
One should consider only whether one has
done or not done good or bad deeds.
051: Just as a beautiful flower,
lacking in scent, cannot give the wearer
the benefit of its scent, so also,
the well-preached words of the Buddha cannot
benefit
one who does not practise the Dhamma.
052: Just as a flower, beautiful
as well as fragrant, will give the wearer
the benefit of its scent, so also,
the well-preached words of the Buddha
will benefit one who practises the Dhamma.
053: As from a collection of flowers
many a garland can be made by an expert
florist, so also, much good can be done
(with wealth, out of faith and generosity)
by one subject to birth and death.
054: The scent of flowers cannot go against the wind;
nor the scent of sandalwood, nor of rhododendron
(tagara), nor of jasmin (mallika); only the reputation
of good people can go against the wind.
The reputation of the virtuous ones (sappurisa)
is wafted abroad in all directions.
055:There are the scents of sandalwood,
rhododendron,
lotus and jasmin (vassika);
but the scent of virtue
surpasses all scents.
056: The scents of rhododendron
and of sandal wood are very faint;
but the scent (reputation) of the virtuous
is the strongest; it spreads
even to the abodes of the deva.
057: Mra cannot find the path
taken by those who are endowed
with virtue, who live mindfully
and have been freed from moral
defilements by Right Knowledge.
058-59: As a sweet-smelling and beautiful lotus
flower may grow upon a heap ofrubbish thrown
on the highway, so also, out of the rubbish heap
of beings may appear a disciple of the Buddha,
who with his wisdom shines forth far above
the blind (ignorant) worldlings.
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060: Long is the night to one who is wakeful;
long is (the journey of) one yojana
to the traveller who is tired;
long is sasra (round of rebirths) to the fool,
who is ignorant of the true Dhamma
(the Teaching of the Buddha).
061: If a person seeking a companion
cannot find one who is better than
or equal to him, let him resolutely
go on alone; there can be
no companionship with a fool.
062: "I have sons, I have wealth";
with this (feeling of attachment)
the fool is afflicted. Indeed,
he himself is not his own,
how can sons and wealth be his?
063: The fool who knows that
he is a fool can, for that reason,
be a wise man; but the fool
who thinks that he is wise is,
indeed, called a fool.
064: A fool, even though he is
associated with a wise man all his life,
does not understand the Dhamma,
just as a ladle
does not know the taste of soup.
065: An intelligent man, even though
he is associated with a wise man
only for a moment, quickly understands
the Dhamma, just as the tongue
knows the taste of soup.
066: With themselves
as their own enemies,
fools lacking in intelligence,
move about doing evil deeds,
which bear bitter fruits.
067: That deed is not well done,
if one has to repent
for having done it, and if, with a
tearful face, one has to weep
as a result of that deed.
068: That deed is well done
if one has not to repent
for having done it, and if one is
delightful and happy
with the result of that deed.
069: As long as the evil deed
does not bear fruit, the fool thinks
it is sweet like honey;
but when his evil deed does bear fruit,
the fool suffers for it.
070: Even though, month after month,
the fool (living in austerity) takes his food
sparingly with the tip of a grass blade,
he is not worth even one-sixteenth part of
those who have comprehended the Truth
(i.e., the ariyas).
071: An evil deed does not immediately
bear fruit, just as the newly-drawn milk
does not curdle at once;
but it follows the fool burning him
like live coal covered with ashes.
072: The skill of a fool
can only harm him;
it destroys his merit and his wisdom
(lit., it severs his head).
073: The foolish bhikkhu desires praise
for qualities he does not have,
precedence among bhikkhus,
authority in the monasteries,
and veneration from those unrelated to him.
074: "Let both laymen and bhikkhus think that
things are done because of me;
let them obey me in all matters,
great and small."
Such being the thoughts of the fool,
his greed and his pride grow.
075: Indeed, the path that leads to worldly gain is
one and the Path that leads to Nibbna is another.
Fully comprehending this, the bhikkhu, the disciple
of the Buddha, should not take delight in worldly
gain and honour, but devote himself to solitude,
detachment and the realization of Nibbna.
076: One should follow a man of wisdom
who rebukes one for one's faults,
as one would follow a guide to
some buried treasure.
To one who follows such a wise man,
it will be an advantage and not a disadvantage.
077: The man of wisdom
should admonish others;
he should give advice and should prevent
others from doing wrong;
such a man is held dear by the good;
he is disliked only by the bad.
078: One should not associate
with bad friends, nor with the vile.
One should associate
with good friends,
and with those who are noble.
079: He who drinks in the Dhamma
lives happily with a serene mind;
the wise man always takes delight
in the Dhamma (Bodhipakkhiya Dhamma)
expounded by the Noble Ones (ariyas).
080: Farmers (lit., makers of
irrigation canals) channel the water;
fletchers straighten the arrow;
carpenters work the timber;
the Wise tame themselves.
081: As a mountain of rock is
unshaken by wind,
so also,
the wise are unperturbed by blame
or by praise.
082: Like a lake which is deep,
clear and calm,
the wise after listening
to the Teaching (Dhamma)
become serene.
083: Indeed, the virtuous give up all
(i.e., attachment to the five khandhas, etc.);
the virtuous (lit., the tranquil) do not talk
with sensual desire; when faced with joy or
sorrow, the wise do not show
elation or depression.
084: For his own sake or for the sake of
others, he does no evil; nor does
he wish for sons and daughters or for wealth
or for a kingdom by doing evil; nor does
he wish for success by unfair means; such
a one is indeed virtuous, wise and just.
085: Few among men reach
the other shore (Nibbna);
all the others only run
up and down on this shore.
086: But those who practise according
to the well-expounded Dhamma
will reach the other shore (Nibbna),
having passed the realm of Death
(i.e., sasra), very difficult as it is to cross.
087-88: The man of wisdom, leaving the home of
craving and having Nibbna as his goal,
should give up dark, evil ways
and cultivate pure, good ones.
He should seek great delight in solitude,
detachment and Nibbna, which an ordinary man
finds so difficult to enjoy. He should also give up
sensual pleasures, and clinging to nothing,
should cleanse himself of all impurities of the mind.
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089: Those, with mind well-developed
in the seven Factors of Enlightenment (bojjhanga),
having rid themselves of all craving, rejoice in their
abandonment of attachment. Such men,
with all moral intoxicants eradicated, and powerful
(with the light of Arahatta Magganana),
have realized Nibbna in this world
(i.e., with Khandha aggregates remaining).
090: For him (an arahat) whose
journey is ended, who is free from
sorrow and from all (e.g. khandha
aggregates), who has destroyed
all fetters, there is no more distress.
091: The mindful strive diligently
(in the Tranquillity and Insight Development
Practice); they take no delight in the home
(i.e., in the life of sensual pleasures);
like swans (hamsa) that forsake the muddy pool,
they abandon all home life (i.e., all cravings).
092: Arahats do not hoard (anything);
when taking food they reflect well over it
(i.e., in accordance with the three paris).
They have as their object liberation from
existence, that is, Nibbna which is Void and
Signless. Their destination, like the course of
birds in the air, cannot be traced.
093: The arahat is free from
moral intoxicants (savas); he is not
attached to food. He has as his object
liberation from existence, i.e., Nibbna
which is Void and Signless. His path, like
that of birds in the air, cannot be traced.
094: The arahat whose
sense-faculties are calm like horses
well-tamed by the charioteer,
who is free from
pride and moral intoxicants -
such an arahat is held dear
even by the devas.
095: Like the earth, the arahat is patient
and is not provoked to respond in anger;
like the door-post he is firm;
he is unperturbed by the ups and downs of life;
he is serene and pure like a lake free from mud.
For such an arahat there will be no more rebirth.
096: An arahat is calm in his mind,
calm in his speech, and also in his deed;
truly knowing the Dhamma,
such an arahat is free from moral defilements
and is unpurturbed
by the ups and downs of life.
097: He who is not credulous, who has realized
the Unconditioned (Nibbna),
who has cut off the links of the round of
rebirths, who has destroyed all consequences of
good and bad deeds,
who has discarded all craving,
is indeed the noblest of all men (i.e., an arahat).
098: In a village or in a forest,
in a valley or on a hill,
wherever arahats dwell,
that place is delightful.
099: Forests are delightful,
but the worldlings
find no delight in them;
only those who are free from passion
will find delight in them,
for they do not seek sensual pleasures.
100: Better than a thousand words
that are senseless and unconnected
with the realization of Nibbna,
is a single word of sense,
if on hearing it one is calmed.
101: Better than a thousand verses
that are senseless and unconnected
with the realization of Nibbna,
is a single verse,
if on hearing it one is calmed.
102: Better than the recitation of
a hundred verses that are senseless
and unconnected with the realization of
Nibbna, is the recitation of a single
verse of the Teaching (Dhamma),
if on hearing it one is calmed.
103: A man may conquer
a million men in battle,
but one who conquers himself is,
indeed,
the greatest of conquerors.
104-05: It is better indeed, to conquer
oneself than to conquer others.
Neither a deva, nor a gandhabba,
nor Mra together with Brahm can turn
into defeat the victory of the man
who controls himself.
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106: Month after month for a hundred years,
one may make offerings (to ordinary people)
to the value of a thousand Kahpanas; yet if,
only for a moment one pays homage to a bhikkhu
who has practised Insight Development,
this homage is, indeed, better than a hundred
years of making offerings (to ordinary people).
107: For a hundred years, a man may tend
the sacred fire in the forest: yet if, only for
a moment, one pays homage to a bhikkhu
who has practised Insight Development,
this homage is, indeed, better than a hundred
years of making sacrifices (in fire-worship).
108: In this world, one may make
sacrificial offerings, great and small,
all the year round, in order to gain merit;
all these offerings are not worth a quarter
of the merit gained by worshipping the
Noble Ones (Ariyas) who walk the right path.
109: For one who always respects
and honours those
who are older and more virtuous,
four benefits, viz., longevity, beauty,
happiness and strength, will increase.
110: Better than a hundred years
in the life of an immoral person
who has no control over his senses,
is a day in the life of a virtuous person
who cultivates Tranquillity and
Insight Development Practice.
111: Better than a hundred years
in the life of an ignorant person,
who has no control over his senses,
is a day in the life of a wise man
who cultivates Tranquillity
and Insight Development Practice.
112: Better than a hundred years
in the life of a person who is idle and inactive,
is a day in the life of one
who makes a zealous and strenuous effort
(in Tranquillity and Insight Development Practice).
113: Better than a hundred years
in the life of a person who does not perceive
the arising and the dissolving
of the five aggregates (khandhs),
is a day in the life of one who perceives
the arising and dissolving of the five aggregates.
114: Better than a hundred years
in the life of a person
who does not perceive the Deathless
(Nibbna), is a day in the life of one
who perceives the Deathless (Nibbna).
115: Better than a hundred years
in the life of a person who does not
comprehend the Noble Dhamma
(Dhammamuttama),
is a day in the life of one
who comprehends the Noble Dhamma.
116: One should make haste
in doing good deeds;
one should restrain one's mind from evil;
for the mind of one
who is slow in doing good tends
to take delight in doing evil.
117: If a man does evil,
he should not do it again and again;
he should not take delight in it;
the accumulation of evil
leads to dukkha.
118: If a man does what is good,
he should do it again and again;
he should take delight in it;
the accumulation of merit
leads to happiness.
119: Even an evil person
may still find happiness so long as
his evil deed does not bear fruit;
but when his evil deed does bear fruit
he will meet with evil consequences.
120: Even a good person
may still meet with suffering so long as
his good deed does not bear fruit;
but when it does bear fruit
he will enjoy the benefits of his good deed.
121: One should not think
lightly of doing evil,
imagining "A little will not affect me";
just as a water-jar is
filled up by falling drops of rain, so also,
the fool is filled up with evil,
by accumulating it little by little.
122: One should not think
lightly of doing good,
imagining "A little will not affect me";
just as a water-jar is
filled up by falling drops of rain, so also,
the wise one is filled up with merit,
by accumulating it little by little.
123: Just as a wealthy merchant
with few attendants avoids
a dangerous road, just as one who
desires to go on living avoids poison,
so also, one should avoid evil.
124: If there is no wound on the hand,
one may handle poison;
poison does not affect one who has
no wound; there can be no evil
for one who has no evil intention.
125: If one wrongs a person
who should not be wronged,
one who is pure and is free from
moral defilements, viz., an arahat,
the evil falls back upon that fool,
like fine dust thrown against the wind.
126: Some are reborn as human beings,
the wicked are reborn
in a place of continuous torment (niraya).
The righteous go to the deva world,
and those who are free from moral intoxicants
(viz., the arahats) realize Nibbna.
127: Not in the sky,
nor in the middle of the ocean,
nor in the cave of a mountain,
nor anywhere else, is there a place,
where one may escape
from the consequences of an evil deed.
128: Not in the sky,
nor in the middle of the ocean,
nor in the cave of a mountain,
nor anywhere else, is there a place,
where one cannot be oppressed
by Death.
129: All are afraid of the stick,
all fear death.
Putting oneself in another's place,
one should not beat or kill others.
130: All are afraid of the stick,
all hold their lives dear.
Putting oneself in another's place,
one should not beat or kill others.
131: He who seeks his own happiness
by oppressing others,
who also desire to have happiness,
will not find happiness
in his next existence.
132: He who seeks his own happiness
by not oppressing others,
who also desire to have happiness,
will find happiness
in his next existence.
133: Do not speak harshly to anyone;
those who are thus spoken
to will retort. Malicious talk is indeed
the cause of trouble (dukkha) and
retribution will come to you.
134: If you can keep yourself
calm and quiet like a broken gong
which is no longer resonant,
you are sure to realize Nibbna,
there will be no harshness in you.
135: As with a stick the cowherd
drives his cattle to the pasture,
so also, ageing and death
drive the life of beings.
136: A fool while doing evil deeds
does not know them as being evil;
but that fool suffers
for his evil deeds
like one who is burnt by fire.
137: He who does harm with weapons
to those who are harmless
and should not be harmed
will soon come to any of
these ten evil consequences:
138-39-40: He will be subject to severe pain,
or impoverishment, or injury to the body (i.e., loss of limbs),
or serious illness (e.g., leprosy), or lunacy, or misfortunes
following the wrath of the king, or wrongful and serious
accusations, or loss of relatives, or destruction of wealth,
or the burning down of his houses by fire or by lightning.
After the dissolution of his body, the fool will be reborn
in the plane of continuous suffering (niraya).
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141: Not going naked,
nor having matted hair,
nor smearing oneself with mud, nor fasting,
nor sleeping on bare ground,
nor covering oneself with dust,
nor striving by squatting can purify a being,
who has not yet overcome doubt.
142: Though he is gaily decked, if he is calm,
free from moral defilements,
and has his senses controlled,
if he is established in Magga Insight,
if he is pure and has laid aside enmity
(lit., weapons) towards all beings, he indeed
is a brhmana, a samaa, and a bhikkhu.
143: Rare in this world is the kind of person
who out of a sense of shame
restrains from doing evil
and keeps himself awake
like a good horse
that gives no cause to be whipped.
144: Like a good horse stirred at a touch of
the whip, be diligent and get alarmed
by endless round of rebirths (i.e., sasra).
By faith, morality, effort, concentration,
discernment of the Dhamma,
be endowed with knowledge and practice of morality,
and with mindfulness,
leave this immeasurable dukkha (of sasra) behind.
145: Farmers channel the water;
fletchers straighten the arrows;
carpenters work the timber;
the wise tame themselves.
146: Why is there laughter?
Why is there joy although
(the world) is always burning?
Shrouded in darkness
why not seek the light?
147: Look at this dressed up body,
a mass of sores, supported (by bones),
sickly, a subject of many thoughts
(of sensual desire). Indeed, that body
is neither permanent nor enduring.
148: This body is worn out-with age,
it is the seat of sickness,
it is subject to decay.
This putrid body disintegrates;
life, indeed, ends in death.
149: Like gourds thrown away
in autumn are
these dove-grey bones;
what pleasure is there
in seeing them?
150: This body (lit., the city) is built up
with bones which are covered
with flesh and blood; within this dwell
(lit., are deposited) decay and death,
pride and detraction
(of others' virtues and reputation).
151: The much ornamented royal carriages
do wear out, the body also grows old,
but the Dhamma of the Virtuous
does not decay.
Thus, indeed,
say the Virtuous among themselves.
152: This man of little learning
grows old like an ox;
only his flesh grows
but not his wisdom.
153: I, who have been seeking the builder of
this house (body), failing to attain Enlightenment
(Bodhi na or Sabbauta na)
which would enable me to find him,
have wandered through
innumerable births in sasra.
To be born again and again is, indeed, dukkha!
154: Oh house-builder! You are seen,
you shall build no house (for me) again.
All your rafters are broken, your roof-tree is
destroyed. My mind has reached
the unconditioned (i.e.,Nibbna); the end of
craving (Arahatta Phala) has been attained.
155: They, who in youth have
neither led the life of Purity
nor have acquired wealth,
waste away in dejection
like decrepit herons
on a drying pond deplete of fish.
156: They, who in youth have
neither led the Life of Purity
nor have acquired wealth,
lie helplessly like arrows
that have lost momentum,
moaning and sighing after the past.
157: If one knows that
one is dear to oneself,
one should protect oneself well.
During any of the three watches
(of life) the wise man
should be on guard (against evil).
158: One should first establish
oneself in what is proper;
then only one should teach others.
A wise man
should not incur reproach.
159: One should act as
one teaches others;
only with oneself thoroughly tamed
should one tame others.
To tame oneself is, indeed, difficult.
160: One indeed is one's own refuge;
how can others be a refuge to one?
With oneself thoroughly tamed,
one can attain a refuge
(i.e., Arahatta Phala),
which is so difficult to attain.
161: The evil done by oneself,
arising in oneself,
and caused by oneself,
destroys the foolish one,
just as a diamond grinds the rock
from which it is formed.
162: As the creeper (mluva)
strangle the sal tree, so also,
a really immoral person
(overwhelmed by Craving)
does to himself
just what his enemy wishes him to do.
163: It is easy to do things
that are bad and unbeneficial
to oneself, but it is, indeed,
most difficult to do things
that are beneficial and good.
164: The foolish man who, on account of
his wrong views, scorns the teaching of
homage-worthy Noble Ones (Ariyas)
who live according to the Dhamma is
like the bamboo which bears fruit
for its own destruction.
165: By oneself indeed is evil done
and by oneself is one defiled;
by oneself is evil not done
and by oneself is one purified.
Purity and impurity depend entirely
on oneself; no one can purify another.
166: For the sake of another's benefit,
however great it may be,
do not neglect one's own (moral) benefit.
Clearly perceiving one's own benefit
one should make every effort to attain it.
167: Do not follow ignoble ways,
do not live in negligence,
do not embrace wrong views,
do not be the one to prolong
sasra (lit., the world).
168: Do not neglect the duty of going
on alms-round; observe proper practice
(in going on alms-round). One who
observes proper practice lives happily
both in this world and in the next.
169: Observe proper practice
(in going on alms-round);
do not observe improper practice.
One who observes proper practice
lives happily both
in this world and in the next.
170: If a man looks at the world
(i.e., the five khandhas)
in the same way as one looks at
a bubble or a mirage,
the King of Death will not find him.
171: Come, look at this world
(i.e., the five khandhs),
which is like an ornamented royal carriage.
Fools flounder in this world of the khandhs,
but the wise are not attached to it.
172: He, who has been formerly unmindful,
but is mindful later on,
lights up the world
with the light of Magga
Insight as does the moon
freed from clouds.
173: He who overwhelms
with good the evil
that he has done
lights up this world
(with the light of Magga Insight),
as does the moon freed from clouds.
174: Blind are the people of this world;
only a few in this world see clearly
(with Insight). Just as only a few birds
escape from the net, so also,
only a few get to the world of the devas,
(and Nibbna).
175: Swans travel in the sky;
those with supernormal powers
travel through space;
the wise having conquered Mra
together with his army,
go out of this world (i.e., realize Nibbna).
176: For one who transgresses
the Truth, and is given to lying,
and who is unconcerned
with the life hereafter,
there is no evil that he dare not do.
177: Indeed, misers do not go
to the abode of the devas;
fools do not praise charity;
but the wise rejoice in charity
and so gain happiness in the life hereafter.
178: Far better than sovereignty
over the earth, or far better than
going to the abodes of the devas,
or far better than ruling supreme over
the entire universe,
is (the attainment of) Sotpatti Fruition.
179: The Buddha, whose conquest
(of moral defilements) is complete,
in whom there cannot arise any further
defilements in this world,
that Buddha of infinite range of wisdom,
who is trackless,
by what track will you lead him?
180: The Buddha, in whom
there is no craving,
which like a net would bring him back
to any existence (in sasra),
that Buddha of infinite range of wisdom,
who is trackless,
by what track will you lead him?
181: The wise who practise
jhna concentration and Insight Meditation
take delight in the peace of liberation
from sensual pleasures and moral defilements.
Such wise and mindful ones,
who truly comprehend the Four Noble Truths
(i.e., Arahats and Buddhas)
are held dear also by the devas.
182: Hard to gain is birth as man;
hard is the life of mortals;
hard to get is the opportunity
of hearing the Ariya Dhamma
(Teaching of the Buddhas);
hard it is for a Buddha to appear.
183: Not to do evil,
to cultivate merit,
to purify one's mind
this is
the Teaching of the Buddhas.
184: The best moral practice is
patience and forbearance;
"Nibbna is Supreme", said the Buddhas.
A bhikkhu does not harm others;
one who harms others is not a bhikkhu.
185: Not to revile, not to do any harm,
to practise restraint according to
the Fundamental Instructions for the bhikkhus,
to be moderate in taking food,
to dwell in a secluded place,
to devote oneself to higher concentration
this is the Teaching of the Buddhas.
186-87: Not by a shower of coins
can sensual desires be satiated;
sensual desires give little pleasure
and are fraught with evil consequences (dukkha).
Knowing this, the wise man,
who is the disciple of the Buddha,
does not find delight even in the pleasures of the devas,
but rejoices in the cessation of craving (i.e., Nibbna).
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188: When threatened with danger,
men go to many a refuge,
to mountains and forests,
to parks and gardens,
and to sacred trees.
189: But such a refuge is not
a safe refuge, not the best refuge.
One is not liberated
from all evil consequences
of existence (dukkha)
for having come to such a refuge.
190-91: One, who takes refuge in the Buddha,
the Dhamma and the Sagha,
sees with Magga Insight the Four Noble Truths,
viz., Dukkha, the Cause of Dukkha,
the Cessation of Dukkha,
and the Noble Path of Eight Constituents
which leads to the Cessation of Dukkha.
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192: This, indeed,
is the safe refuge;
this is the best refuge.
Having come to this refuge,
one is liberated from all dukkha.
193: It is hard to find
the noblest of men;
he is not born everywhere
nor in every clan. To whatever clan
such a wise man is born,
that clan prospers.
194: Happy is the arising of a Buddha;
happy is the exposition of the Ariya Dhamma;
happy is the harmony amongst the Sagha;
happy is the practice of those in harmony.
195: He pays homage to those
who are worthy of veneration,
whether they are the Buddhas or their disciples
who have overcome obstacles
(to Insight Development)
and have rid themselves of
sorrow and lamentation.
196: The merit gained by such a person
who pays homage to those who have
been freed from moral defilements
and have nothing to fear,
cannot be measured by anyone,
as this much or that much.